In collaboration with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and the Steering Committee for the Rationalization of the Regional Economic Communities of Central Africa (COPIL / CER-AC), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has convened a virtual meeting to present the results of the post COVID-19 PDIDE-AC diagnostic and formulation work will on 18, 19 and 21 May, 2021. PDIDE-AC stands for the Central Africa Industrialization and Economic Diversification Master Plan.
The conclusions and recommendations resulting from this stage meeting of the multi-institutional working group will enable the technical validation of the provisional policy documents of the consensual master plan during a second virtual stage technical validation meeting to be held from 31 May to 1 June 2021.
A harmonized and consolidated industrialization and economic diversification masterplan (PDIDE, in French) covering all 11 countries of the Central African sub-region will be pivotal in apprehending recurrent economic backpedals, building back better in a post-COVID-19 world, and achieving sustainable development.
Aside from agribusiness, other low hanging fruits on which to set the ball running include building the energy value chain (about which Central Africa possesses the highest potential on the continent) and harnessing water resources for development. There is also a need to mainstream geospatial considerations as well as size up the nexus between urbanization and industrialization in such a masterplan.